UMSL Falls to Wisconsin-Parkside

Rivermen Drop to 4-3 on the Season

St. Louis, Mo. – The UMSL men’s basketball dropped a 60-48 game to Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday afternoon in the Great Lakes Valley Conference matchup.

UMSL fell behind early in the first half as Wisconsin-Parkside scored the first points of the game and pushed out to a 14-4 lead with eight minutes left in the half. UMSL, after going scoreless for seven minutes, then came back with a 7-0 run. Jared Pratt (Elsberry, Mo./Elsberry) started the run with a turn around jumper, and Larry Wells (Memphis, Tenn./Westwood) capped it off with a three pointer to cut the lead to three points at 14-11 with 5:41 left in the half. The two teams then exchanged jumpers before the Rangers got a back door layup to make it 18-13 with 2:40 remaining. UMSL then closed the half with an 8-0 run to take a 21-18 lead at halftime. Ronnie Banks (Birmingham, Ala./Phillips) hit a three pointer that knotted the score at 18-18, and a three-point play by Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy) gave UMSL the halftime advantage.

Wisconsin-Parkside came out in the second half and chipped away at the lead. With UMSL leading 24-20, the Rangers then went on a 7-0 run and retook the lead at the 15:50 mark on a steal and layup by Gareth Malkowski, giving UWP a 25-24 lead at that point in the game. UWP then extended that lead up to as much as 11 points at 37-26 at the 11:38 mark, capping off a 17-2 run that gave the Rangers control of the game. UMSL could not get any closer than eight points the rest of the game as the Rangers hit 11 of their last 12 free throws to hold on to the win.

The Rivermen were led by Larry Wells with 12 points, including four three pointers. Ronnie Banks added nine points on the day and Jonathan Griffin had a game high nine rebounds. Dean Pogodzinski led all scorers with 19 points, including a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line.

UMSL is now 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in the GLVC. The Rivermen will be at home again on Monday night, December 9, when the Rivermen host Harris Stowe at 7:45 pm. UMSL will then travel to play at UM Rolla on Saturday, December 14 at 3:15 pm before the Christmas break.